Oddslife is a social betting site which launched in March this year allowing registered users to enter a competition in which they place bets on football and US sports matches around the world as well as “challenges” against other players. The whole concept is based around betting in a safe, social environment on a free-to-play platform (until you lose your points that is), however, one way to earn more points or credits is to invite friends to play.

Once registered, you can enter the main competition using the points you received for joining. You can register using Facebook Connect – the API Facebook has created to allow developers to use Facebook users to log-in without filling in cumbersome registration pages on sites. The integration is done really well here, and the fact that you can invite selected friends via their name and photo fed through from Facebook to join the Oddslife site is well constructed and easy to use. This component of social media is so far lacking in many gaming companies, and so this is a good example of getting it right.

Oddslife takes a bit of getting used to. The “main competition” is all about building your points balance. The more successful you are at this, the more prizes you can buy with credits. You exchange points for credits. You can bet 1×2 or Over/Under 2.5 in games across almost any and every European league imaginable, so you certainly won’t be left short of fixtures to bet on.

There are also “User Challenges”. Thursday 50 Extra is the title of the one I joined, hoping for more of a description of the challenge – but there is work to do here.

The user challenges in general allow players to effectively build their own sportsbook around whichever sports, leagues or teams interest them the most, before inviting friends to take part in the challenge. Users can also select the buy-in amount for these challenges, making them accessible to those new to the site.

Aimed predominantly at male football gamers, the bets and prizes available for purchase in the shop are however well thought out and will appeal to the intended audience.

The site promises you can…“Purchase pretty much anything you want. From signed football shirts, iPads, Playstation 3s and Nintendo Wiis to money funded betting accounts with a string of bookies.” A good example is a signed Chelsea 2011-12 Shirt worth 5,000 credits, while selected football tickets start at 500 credits. The funded betting accounts are a significant feature, with operators including Betfair, Mybet and 188bet among those signed up.

Mybet became Oddslife’s first white label social betting partner, while the company – set up by former EveryMatrix commercial director Rasmus Sojmark – remains in discussions with other operators and media companies beyond its initial 15-strong portfolio, with a view to white label and affiliate deals.

They have also hired content writers and bloggers to provide expert commentary and tips on the latest games. This copy is well written and concise, enhancing the betting experience for site users.

Note: at the time of writing, Oddslife was still in Beta. The final version of the site has since been launched.